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Friday, August 31, 2012

This week we have been focusing on heading back to school, since my kiddos officially start next week. Back to school time is a really great time to organize, since schedules change and family needs change.

I mentioned back in May, that one of our top projects this year, was to implement some sort of a designated cubby system for the boys. We were looking to create a zone in which each boy could place their school belongings and daily gear. Up until now, they have put their boots and shoes by the entry, coats in the coat closet, and backpacks, school gear, etc... in piles. It wasn't the most effective setup, and we have been brainstorming ways to manage it for years. And when I say years, that is no exaggeration.

My original intention was to replicate some of the beautiful and lovely cubby systems, that I often see on Pinterest and BHG.

We have been dreaming of a similar setup for as long as I can remember, it was just going to be a matter of time and money.

And earlier this summer, my hubs gave me the thumbs up. He was finally ready and eager to build me my long awaited cubbies.

But as we started talking, project planning, creating a cubby wishlist, etc... we realized our only solution was to place them in the garage. There is absolutely no other wall in our home, without a major renovation, that would be suitable candidates for the cubbies. Really wanting to move forward with the project in the garage, in the end, it just didn't make sense. We live in the Midwest where for about 7-8 months out of the year, we experience cold temps, some extreme. We get massive amounts of snow and freezing temps. So boots and gear in the garage in the winter wouldn't be very nice to the kids. Time to think up a new plan.

Then, the BHG photo shoot happened and I decided that if I wanted to have a cubby system before school, that I might just have to purchase something that would solve our problems, vs. taking on another DIY build project. I already had my hubs working on finishing doors and trim in the lower level and installing new wood stairs, while also installing some other DIY features to my studio {which I will share in an upcoming post}. There are times where I just need to pick my battles, and buy something instead of build it; so that is what we did.

When it came time to finding the perfect solution, it didn't take long. I often roam the display floor at IKEA looking for ideas and at all of their furniture options, and often would stop and admire their BESTA line. In fact, when readers ask me for awesome toy storage solutions, I often revert to the BESTA line, since it is much more deep and sturdy than typical bookcases. You can mix and match finishes and features to achieve your desired outcome, I was looking to create something similar to this:

Three separate spaces to keep everything kid related. Nice and concealed. I knew I would need room for baskets, backpacks, lunchboxes, their study boxes and boots. After measuring, we took several pieces home {two units - this one and this one, doors and legs} and assembled it {I will spare you those boring details}.

So, our entry went from this...

To this:

The larger unit absolutely filled up the hip wall space far better than the previous falling apart console table did and provided me with all the concealed storage I was hoping for. I am beyond in love and smitten for this huge update!

And when I say it packs a lot of storage punch, that is no joke. Each "cubby" or cabinet is set up exactly the same. One for each boy.

So what are all of those goodies? Let's chat about each.

The top blue box is their "study box". A box that contains everything they need to do their homework each night. A notebook, writing utensils, erasers, etc... Each night they can bring their individual boxes to the kitchen table to do their work, and when they are done, the boxes tuck neatly back in their cubby.

The smaller blue basket is for the boys to keep any portable devices. We do not allow the boys to be on these unless they are traveling, so we installed a cord to each basket to allow for the devices to charge in-between rides.

The lower green basket holds their boots. Since our entry shoe storage cabinet doesn't accommodate the large, wet, cold footwear, I thought a simple plastic basket would do the trick.

The baskets were from Target a few months back, I scooped them up at the same time I was working on the kids playroom.

Their backpacks and lunchboxes tuck nicely into the remaining area of the cubby.

The clipboards started out as cheapo plain Target clipboards, that I dressed up with some pretty contact paper {found here}. Updating the clipboards was was super simple, just trace the clipboard, cut and attach the contact paper. Easy to clean, easy to change!

The reason I wanted to attach the clipboards to the door, is because I wanted an easier way to corral all of the kids current "action" documents for school. We were keeping them inside of folders in their study box, and my thoughts were that the clipboards would keep things in site and easier to grab in a jif. After our recent school open house night, we accumulated quite a few papers and I put them to the test.

They hold a great amount of weight/papers and are mounted on the cabinet door with simple Command Hooks.

Soooooo in love!

We are feeling nice and prepared the new school year now! I am beyond thrilled that the kids have their own designated areas for their belongings in our entry and it is all nicely tucked away and concealed, no one would ever know all of the awesomeness happening behind those doors, which is my favorite part!

As we made the decision to say farewell to the large, built in cubby dream, I was a little disappointed and sad inside, but I insisted on using the ideas and practicalities of the inspiration photos to create something equally as amazing with what items made sense for our home and family. Although not necessarily a traditional "mudroom" or "entry", it is working well for us. Smiles all around!

Of course, no project is ever done. I still have more up my sleeves. Like finding a creative way to dress up those cabinet fronts, maybe add individual labels or photos... only time will tell!

I am looking forward to checking out all of the great ways you all have been preparing for back to school by scouring through the link party this weekend! If you haven't linked up your posts yet, you still have a few more days before the party closes.

I also wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all of your kind comments after I revealed my brother's apartment update. I know I have a few questions to answer, and I will be sure to make time to do that this weekend as well. You all made my heart fill with warmth and I adore you to pieces!

133 comments:

My entry leads straight into a teeny tiny dining room and I'm having the hardest flipping time trying to organize our space -- maybe some sort of buffet in the dining room can double as entry storage AND dish/placemat storage too? Hmm...

Jen, it looks amazing! Perfect solution. I too had always wanted a cubby system/mudroom, but it just would not work in our home (our girls are now grown, and we didn't have IKEA when they were younger).

I love your charging baskets! Iwill be copying/using it at our house starting this weekend. We have similar restrictions on electronics in our house, but they're scattered throughout the house (scattered in an organized manner, of course). Having all the electronics living in one spot will give me peace in trying to keep up with them. (For the record, we don't have all that many electronics, we just have 5 people in the family :) Thanks for the peace of mind!

What a good idea. I might put Besta units in our entryway, too. As we are only three poeple in our family, we would have one cubby for each of us. My daughter and I could put our school things in there!!! Yeah.Jule from inside 9B

That is a brilliant use of space! We have a weird entry way. So the systems you had originally planned for would never work for us. It's good to have another option! And the clipboard project is officially happening this weekend. I love it.

This looks so great! My son has the same red backpack. I would love the wall space in my entry to do something like this. I am still kicking myself for not getting that same yellow lampshade from Target that was carried around their store in my cart on many occasions, I love it! www.styleoyster.blogspot.com

This is absolutely amazing. I recently transformed our entry as well. I love all your storage ideas, and I am thinking of implementing them at our house. I also love how clean and colorful this is. That lamp shade is from Target, no? I love it!

I agree. This is a great solution. I think your entry looks amazing. Kudos for getting it organized to work for you. My entry is little, so we don't have anything there. I am thinking maybe we can convert the entry closet into something?? I don't use it for its traditional uses anyway. Our coats, shoes, etc go in the walk in laundry closet. I always have had an issue with my middle's back pack/lunchbox. Now with the little one going to kindy and having a back pack/lunchbox to contend with.. hmmm... you got me thinkin'....

Thanks Michelle!If you check out Pinterest you will find all sorts of amazing entry closet conversions, I have seen quite a few turned into fascinating cubbies and "built in" like storage. Just because a closet was built and designed one way, doesn't mean it has to stay that way :)

I love how everything is neatly concealed in beautiful furniture! You always come up with these awesome ideas! Please don't mind if I try to duplicate some of these awesome projects ;). Happy long weekend to you!

Thanks for the action item clipboard idea. I was just thinking about how I was going to corral all those school papers yet still keep them visible. I even have that exact same paper left over from lining my bathroom cabinets.

Looks fabulous! I have a question though:- You joined 2 besta cabinets together to get the 3 cubbies you needed, but I can't see the join on the top surface. Did you get that Hubs of yours to put another top surface on? I just thought of this as we've joined 3 trofast units together and I'd love a unified top surface, I'd even love to extend the front edge over, perhaps with rounded corners to help save kiddy bump potential.

Hi Gail!Thanks do much for asking as I forgot to mention that. Ikea actually sells toppers for their Besta units for this exact situation. It is just a nice thick piece of white glass that covers the top for a seamless look.

That looks awesome! I loved the old boot storage too. What is in store for that now? We have an issue with coats and umbrellas. They seem to end up EVERYWHERE. What do you do to keep those accessible and still not on display? Thanx, Mylinda

Thanks! The old boot ottoman got moved back to the guest room to act as storage. I am actually hoping to recover it someday :). Our umbrellas are corralled by the front door in an oversized vase I recently found at Target on clearance, works great!

It looks fabulous. Don't despair about the cubbies...they aren't always as great as they seem. We have a nice bench and hooks, but everything is out in plain sight. The shorter kids can't reach the hooks, so they leave stuff all over the bench rendering it useless for sitting down to put shoes on. We are trying to figure out how to make it more workable. These ideas for charging stations and study boxes will definitely help.

I haven't read the other comments regarding your brother's apartment, so this may be a tiny bit redundant, but it knocked my socks off! I've been reading your blog for a long time, but I have never been more impressed. I can create and make things look pretty, but my weakness is looking at a pile of "junk" and spinning it into order. And what a sweet big sis and big bro-in-law you guys are!

So, I thought I'd throw out an idea for dressing up the face of your new concealed cubbies. Wouldn't a subtle stencil on just the indented face look nice? Like a pale gray lattice, or chevron, or something? Just a thought (since you, know, you need more projects)!

I need to get something to corral E's school stuff besides the spot next to the bench in the entry :/ I may have to purchase and refurbish a small unit that will hold all her things too. I love the idea of the study box and totally want to implement that this year for sure!

Great ideas! It is so helpful to have all the school gear gathered in one place. Would you consider doing a post on how you organize the kids' baseball/sports gear? Also, I'd love to hear how you organize when attending your kids' baseball games especially when bringing siblings along. You always have super helpful ideas!

I have been wanting to ask you to do the same thing! :) I just keep forgetting :) I have 4 boys...only 2 that are old enough to be in sports right now, but someday I am going to get consumed byu sports gear and it scares me! :) I very much look forward to this post!!!

I love your ideas... this was my first time reading your blog and I am soooo IMPRESSED!!! I am a mom of 8, six of which are still in school and of those 6 there are 5 under the age of 9 and this is a must! We have done the cubbie thing but I hate all the clutter. I was just thinking on your cabinet fronts what about a bright collage of pics of each of your boys on the front using pics of them and contact paper that matches your entry?? Just a thought, I am a fan and will be watching and reading your blogs from now on.... THANKS so much! momof8

I try to keep systems as simple as possible for the kids to help maintain. Labels, a place for everything, and kind, gental reminders {vs. doing things for them}, when it comes to putting things away. My kids are in no way the tidiest or cleanest, but I have found when I come up with easy to follow ideas, I have the best results. :)

I was so looking forward to your post on cubbies in the garage since that is what I'd like to do too, but what you did instead is just amazing. Good for you for thinking through all the pros and cons and finding something that will really work for your family.

And thank you for the contact paper idea for the clipboards. I have two clipboards hanging that I wanted to cover and I was thinking scrapbook paper, but the contact paper sounds much easier and sturdier.

Jen, this looks fantastic! I love the way it transformed the entry and obviously the added storage is awesome! It's hard to give up the vision of that dreamy space but I love how you took all the things you loved about the inspiration photo and translated them to fit your family and your space. And it's just great eye candy :)

I have to say... I'm glad the cubbies didn't happen. :) I'd say most homes don't have a big mud room or entry that can fit those big units, so it's so great to see you post something that can work in just about any home ( as usual) !!! That's why Iove your site so much. Full of solutions that can work anywhere.

It would be beat if you added a picture frame to the front of each cubby to showcase there are work of the week or good grade in a test/paper! I love what you found to work in the space that you had! :)

Love that you mentioned that it is a work in progress...I feel like I am often doing just that...working something to perfection for that moment...then a few months later-I am back at as life changes. http://themomentiwake.blogspot.ca/

Great memory! That is where we put our tree in the past, however, we always do a little furniture re-arranging over the holiday season. I can't say for certain where it will land, but we also have a family room in our lower level that could be a potential home for the tree.

Loved it and I pinned it, Jen! I also see those "locker" style systems all the time and think they look great, but they never would have worked anywhere I've lived either. You're so great at finding a way to make something customized for your family and your house, but I'm most impressed at your ability to change things and let go of systems that are no longer working.

Love, love, love it! I love how organized it is and no one can see all the school supplies but it is all so handy. Looking forward to seeing what else is up your sleeves. I'd love to be able to do something like this, just need to find the space. Thanks for sharing!

Do you ever worry that living such an organised life will make your children feel controlled and perhaps onset mental issues such as OCD or disorders that associate with having conrtol over your own life (eating disorders?) do they have 'messy space'? I want to do this for my kids but I'm worried about these things!

Hmmm, I guess I have never thought about it in that regard, I always try to think about it as giving them ideas and tools to be successful and to make their lives easier. We are not all that strict about implementing our systems all the time or even the tidiest family {ask surprise visitors, we have messes just like anyone else}, we just try to put in ideas and solutions that are simple to maintain and understand for everyone, and keep it easy for us to have a streamlined home.

I love what you have done with your space and am looking to do something similar. We also have no room for built in cubbies which I would die for. The closest IKEA is 6 hours away. Do you know where I might find something similar to that BESTA system you used?

I want to go to Ikea right now and duplicate this exactly like yours for my 3 boys! I was thinking about building a cubby system in our garage, but after reading this and some of the comments, I am leaning towards doing something like this for the inside. It just makes more sense for the school things. I still would love to build something for my 3 boys baseball and sports supplies in the garage and look forward to seeing how you organize their sports activities! :) Thanks so much!!!

Please, please, please keep us posted in what you decide to to with the cabinet fronts! I have a bigger Besta that provides great storage in our tiny apartment, but it's just a huge monolith with nothing on the front. I'm so excited to see what you come up with!

An understandable question Melissa. We are always tweaking things around here {as our style and needs change and evolve}, but for the most part, we are just moving things around we already have. The last change we made to our entry last winter actually didn't cost us anything since we had everything and just relocated a bench from another room {which was just located back}. It only solved a portion of the problem, so we waiting another 7 months before we made another update to solve the remaining issues. We are DIY and home enthusiasts, so we probably change things more than most, but it is what we are passionate about and we make sacrifices in other areas of our life to do so. We try to purchase items that will work in many settings in our home and can evolve easily with our family. For example, this new storage system for our entry, could still work wonders for my husband, dogs and I after the kids move out years from now. The key is selecting versatile pieces, shopping our home, shopping Craigslist or thrift stores, consistently assessing organizing and storage needs and combining free projects, furniture makeovers and a few splurges here and there to create a balanced mixture of home improvements.

I know you already have those doors, BUT there are BESTA doors that are aluminum framed glass doors that look FABULOUS with a big blown-up photo. You pretty much only see the photo. I've seen it done, and it's never left my mind! =) Your set up looks really good, and super organized!

I have and still am considering doing something with the kid's photos on the doors, but I haven't fully committed yet since we also have the huge gallery wall of family portraits in the attached living room as well. It will most likely happen though, lol. Too bad I missed out on those doors, but I think I could still swing it with these. :)

Great idea and it looks fabulous! My oldest just started school and I'm having a hard time keeping all the calendars and paperwork organized. I need a solution for those items, but I love the concealed bags and shoes!

I love this storage idea, and would love to do something similar, but I have extremely limited space. I would need to go vertical, not horizontal. Do they make similar shelves that are vertical? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

I spruced up a clipboard similar to yours this weekend and hung it on the side of our kitchen cabinets. I'll use it to hang up the notes my son brings home from school so I can see them and access them easily. I love your ideas!

Great idea! I just came across your site and I have to say great blog. I am a little OCD, so finding ways to organize everything in your household is a passion of mine. :-). I too love Ikea. I love their Expedit shelving unit. I have them in my boys room as their bookshelves. It's great for books and toys! I used the Lekman boxes to store toys in for one of my boys.

Love the new system Jen! I saw a comment where the gal was worried about kids feeling "controlled" by the systems. I think if the systems are really complicated, that might be the case, but making a home for everything and making it SIMPLE just gives them a sense of order. This is a great system because it is making a place for items at the most logical place of use. No extra steps, no complicated method.

So...I'm dying to know about that little black wall-mounted basket peeking over the end of the new unit...what's it for???

I am a registered nurse, and I use a clipboard every day at work. I've been looking for a cute replacement, and I appreciate your idea of mactac on a plain clipboard. It is decorative, and, as you mentioned, will endure regular cleanings. Thank you for sharing!

Oh my goodness. Your blog is so inspiring! I was just wondering if you think this besta cabinet will fit men's shoes? I wanted the hemnes shoe cabinet but we have somewhat higher base boards and wainscoting so didn't think it would work for us. Thanks so much for your thoughts, advice, and inspiration.

We did not with the Besta, we felt it was stable enough and would be challenging to tip, that it would be OK left floating. However, I always advise that everyone should make those determinations on their own as each home and scenerio is different. :)

WOW! Where do I begin? :) I, too, am a mom of 3 sons and an admitted neat-freak! I am new to your blog--where have you been all my life?! I used to dream of a system like this, and just never worked it out like I wanted to. Now, one son is in college, one is in high school, and #3 is in middle school...

Your ideas are WONDERFUL! I can't stop looking, and I cannot WAIT to implement so many of them. AHHHHHH!!!!! I'm so excited! Thanks for all you do, and for your willingness to share. I am a fan for life!

Hey it looks great, gives me great ideas for our entry way piece that I'm still looking forand deciding on. Weird question for you but where did you get that little green radio from, I've been looking at Tivoli for something sleek small and modern, so just wondering what brand yours is?

Your cabinet idea is exactly what I need. We do not have an entry way either and the "shoe basket" and piles of backpacks are not working for me anymore. Could you please tell me what table top you bought? I am making my shopping list.

Another great compromise that probably turned out better than the original project plan...who needs another locker cubby project floating round blogland when this is so much cooler and more original ;D Did you get around to doing something with the fronts yet? Would love to see a decor update. If not, how about using your boys P1,2 and 3 that i've seen on your other projects but just using the numbers to make it a little more sophisticated for a living area, plus not too customised if these cupboards are ever repurposed...or when!! x

Just had an "ah ha" moment! Thanks so much! We don't really have an entry, but we do have a place near the front door that would accommodate a small cabinet with doors on it. We are always going to local auctions and garage sales. I am going to keep my eye out for something that will work in this space. Our oldest is starting pre-k this year, and we need a place to keep her backpack and other school related items and keep them out of the reach of little sister. And I think my husband and I could use this too for keys and wallet and purse. Thanks again for the idea!

It was refreshing to read a post that was not only an alternative to a mudroom, but also addressed that fact that in the Midwest it is too cold to keep shoes in the garage. I've been searching and searching for ideas to contain shoes that are DIRTY when they come inside and this post has by far been the most helpful. I really like the homework box too!

I love this!!! Its amazing...I have 4 little kids 6 and under; the shoes and bags from the 2 school aged kids are killing me! I'm going to Ikea today to change my "mud room". You did such a great job making this storage simple and classy. Thanks! I was also thrilled to see the playroom; it gave me inspiration to get it done. In a world where most storage ideas are ugly plastic that look cheap or too expensive Pottery Barn you've given the rest of us moms something affordable and nice to work with. Thanks again!

I think the key is to keep it at their level and simple for them to use. They can open the door and toss their belongings inside, easy peasy. Any system we start right away takes quite a few reminders, but after awhile, it becomes second nature. xoxo!

I saw this a few years ago and wanted to implement in our house so badly, but I needed the entry space for a larger cupboard where we could put other things out of sight.In the mean while we have moved and this is definitely working in my entryway this time around.So much so that I'll definitely send my mum to IKEA ...which we still haven't here in Morocco :(

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